Apparatus for treating fabrics and the like



March 31. 1925. 1,531,940

J. ,J. HOEFiLIH APPARATUS FOR TREATING TFABRICS min TH LIKE Filed March26, 92; I

Fig. I.

Inventor; Joseph Hoeflich His Attorney;

Patented Mar. 31, 1925.

UNITED STATES v I 1,531,940 PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH J. Eonrmcn, or sc'nnnncrnny, NEW YORK, ASSIG -NOR r GENERAL ELEC-TRIC comrm, A conrona'rron' or NEW roan APPARATUS FOR TREATING FABRICSAND THE LIKE.

Application filed March 26, 1923. Serial No. 627,547.

To all'whom itma-y concern: f

Be it known that I, JOSEPH J. HOEFLICH, a citizen of the United States,residing at Schenectady, county of Schenectady, State 6 of New York,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus forTreating Fabrics and the like, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to apparatus for 1 treating various materials, suchas fabric, paper, and the like, with a compound, such as varnish orshellac, and has for its object the provision of means whereby. thecompound'may be applied to the material in a simple, reliable andeconomical manner.

More specifically my invention relates to apparatus for shellackingfabric, although it has application in the treating of various othermaterials, such as paper, and in the application of various othercompounds,

such as varnish.

Shellacked materials have various applications in which the adhesiveproperties of the-shellac may be utilized, for example, in

electrical machinery for securing field or armature coils in theirslots. In this application a strip of shellacked material is placed inthe slot around the coil, the shellac acting to bind the coil securelyin place.

to treat the fabric in separate sheets about one yard square. Thesesheets are dip ed in the shellac and-hung up by hand to ry.

This process-is, therefore, necessarily slow and expensive.

In carrying out my invention I provide apparatus whereby the fabric orother material ma be shellacked in relatively lon lengthsw ich are fedcontinuouslythroug the a paratus. In this manner the shellac may be aplied rapidly and without the necessity 0 manual handling of themateria'I.

For a more complete understanding of my invention, reference should behadto the accompanying drawing in which Fig. 1 is an elevation viewpartially in section showing apparatus for shellacking fabric embodyingmy invention. Fig. 2 is a section view showing themethod of cooling theguide 0 roller, while Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view of theroller.

Referrin .to the drawing, the apparatus for shellac ing'fabric or othermaterials in one form of my invention comprises a suitable container 10for the bath ll'of shellac A common method of shellacking fabric is orother treating compound through which the length of'fabric 12 is drawncontinuously and then passed upward through a drying chamber -or oven13, maintained at a comparatively low temperature where the '00 shellacis partially dried, from which thefabrlc passes over a roller 14,forming a support and a guide for the fabric, and then downward througha second drying chamber or oven 15 which is maintained at 66 acomparatively high temperature and in which the drying of the shellac iscompleted. The untreated fabric is supplied from a reel 16 which isprovided withvsuitable means, suchas a spring arm 16 bear- 7 ing on itsperiphery, for restraining its rotation so as to place the fabric stripunder tension. From the roll 16 the fabric passes over a guide roller 17from which it is directed downward, and passes under a guide 7 roller 18which is mounted in the container 10 and immersed in the shellac bath11. From the roller 18 the fabric passes upward through the first dryingoven and then downward through the second drying oven as previouslydescribed. After the shellacked fabric leaves the hi h temperature oven15 it is passed a shortdi'stance through the air for the purpose -ofallowing it to cool after which it is passed between two guide rollers19 and 20 and is wound up on a reel 21. The roller 20 is driven by suitable means such as an electric motor (not shown), the driving meansapplying sufficient tension to the fabric to draw it 00 through theapparatus from the supply roll 16... The reel 21 is driven from roller20 through a suitable driving connection (not shown) embodying aslipconnection to provide in a .well known manner for increase in diameterof the reel as the treated fabric is wound on. The apparatus is mountedon a suitable framework shown as comprising four upright posts 22.

' The two chambers or ovens 13 and 15, forming the drying means, aremounted side by side on the supporting framework. They are each providedwith an upper slot 23 and a lower'slot 23* through which the fabricstrip, passes into and out of the ovens. The drying ovens are heated inany suitable manner, preferably, however, by steam. 1

Due to the fact that the shellac after the fabric emerges frorn the lowtemperature drying oven 13 is only partially dry, it has n a tendency tostick to the roller '14 inpassing over it unless some means are providedto overcome this tendency. By reason of its location directly above theovens 13 and 15, the roller is also exposed to a certaln amount of heatfromthe ovens whereby its temperature is raised and the tendency of theshellac to stick to the roller increased. I have found that by suitablycooling the roller so as to maintain it at a relatively low temperaturewith relation to the temperature of the fabric as it emerges from thedrying oven 13, that the shellac on coming into contact with the rollerWlll be hardened or set by the cooling action of the roller so that itwillnot have any tendency to stick to the roller. The fabric vt ill thenpass freely over'the roller 14 and be thus supported and guided from onedrying oven to the next.

constructed of relatively thin sheet metal so that it is hollow. Theends of the roller are provided with central flanged apertures 24 and 25forming internal hearings in which fit stationary tubular supportingmembers 26 and27. These supportmg members are secured to transversesupporting members 28' and 29 secured to posts 22. Water or othersuitable cooling fluid is circulated through the hollow roller throughthe agency of a pipe 30 which passes through and is supported by thetubular supporting members 26 and 27. A series of apertures 31 areprovided alon the length of the section of the pipe 30 W ich is includedwithin the hollow roller. The water, which is supplied through pipe 30under suitable pressure, is forced out of the apertures 31 in jets whichplay against the inner surface of theroller throughout its lengthwhereby the roller is cooled. For the escape of the cooling water fromthe interior of the roller a series of equally spaced apertures 32 areprovided in theright hand end of the roller. The cooling water collectsat the bottom of the roller as the roller is rotated by the passing ofthe fabric strip over it and escapes rom the apertures 32 into asuitable drain pipe 33. Preferably the apertures 31 are so placedcircumferentially of the pipe 30 as to direct the water in jets at aslight angle with the vertical in the direction in which the roller isrotated by passing of the fabric strip over it, as shown in Fig. '3. Inthis manner, the contact friction of the water in running down the innersurface of the roller assists the fabric in turning the roller. Asuitable valve 34 is provided in the pipe 30 whereby the amount of waterPP as to maintain the roller at the most eflicient temlpfi'ature toprevent the shellac from stic g.

In its operation the apparatus after once ied to the roller can beregulated so.

being started is substantially automatic for a given len h of fabric. Ihave found that an efiiclent speed of the fabric is 15 inches a minute.By increasing the width of the fabric and correspondingly enlar ing themachine, the output for each mac ine may be increased as desired.

By providing'an oven of higher temperature for completing the dryingoperation greater speed is obtained. When using shellac, it is necessaryto dry the shellac slowly at first by using the comparatively low tem--perature oven, otherwise blistering may occur, after which the dryingoperationmay be completed rapidly in the high temperature oven withoutinjury to the shellac. viously a single oven-of even temperature may beused through which the fabric would be passed twice, although such anarrange ment would not give as high speed.

While I have described my invention as embodied inconcrete form and asoperating in a specific manner, in accordance with the provisions of thepatent statutes, it should be understood that I do not limit myinvention thereto, since various modifications thereof will suggestthemselves to those skilled in the art without departing from the spiritof my invention, the scope of whic through which the material is passeda plu-' rality of times, a roller for supporting the material betweensuccessive passes through said drying means, and means for cooling saidroller to prevent the treated. material from sticking thereto.

3. Apparatus fortreating material in continuous lengths, comprisingmeans for applying the treating compound, a plurality of drying ovens,and a cooled roller overwhich the material is passed from one dryingoven to the next.

4. Apparatus for treating material in continuous lengths,comprisingmeans for applying the treating compound, a pluralityof dryingovens, a roller over which the material is passed from one drying ovento the next, and means for cooling such roller so as to set the compoundand prevent stick.- mg to the roller.

5. Ap aratus for treating material in 0011-...

tinuous engths, comprisingmeans forap- 1 in the treatin compound, aplurality f drging chamber maintained at different temperatures, aroller over which the material is passed from one drying chamber to thenext, said roller being hollow and provided with a tubular supportingshaft, and means for circulating a coo-ling fluid through said shaft andthe interior of said roller so as to maintain said roller at arelatively low temperature whereby the compound 1s set to preventsticking as the material passes over said roller. I

6. Apparatus for treating material in continuous lengths, comprising abath of treating compound, a plurality of drying chambers maintained atdifferent temperatures, a roller, means for passing material throughsaid bath, upward through one of said dryling chambers, over said cooledroller and then downward through another drying chamber, and means forcooling said roller so as to prevent the compound from sticking thereto.i

7. Apparatus for treating material in con tinuous lengths comprising abath of treating compound, a pair of drying chambers maintained atdifferent temperatures, a roller, means for passing the materialcontinuously through. said bath, upward through the chamber of lowertemperature, over said roller and then downward through the chamber ofhigher temperature, and means for cooling said roller so as to preventthe compound from sticking thereto.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 21st day of March,1923.

JOSEPH J. HOEFLICH.

